drug development

Device to Study Neurons and Muscle May Speed ALS Drug Discoveries

Engineers at MIT have developed a device that replicates the neuromuscular junction — the connection between motor neurons (the type of neurons that communicate and stimulate muscles, coming from the spinal cord) and muscle cells. The tool, which gives researchers access to technology in the lab that recreates how neurons stimulate muscles,…

ALS Culprit Protein Chokes Mitochondria, Killing Neurons, According to Recent Discovery

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have shed light on the mechanism by which a protein called TDP-43 kills nerve cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the related disease frontotemporal dementia. The protein causes neurodegeneration by getting stuck inside mitochondria, preventing these cellular powerhouses from providing energy…

Baylor and UCB Partner to Develop Therapies for ALS, Other Neurodegenerative Ills

Baylor College of Medicine and the Belgium-based biopharmaceutical company UCB announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership, led by Baylor Professor Huda Zoghbi, to discover new medicines to better treat neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The research alliance is in keeping UCB’s commitment to accelerating the discovery…